The interview between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump has generated considerable discussion and controversy. The European Union has issued a stern warning to Musk in advance of the interview, raising concerns about the potential impact of their conversation. This has led to increased curiosity about the nature of their relationship.
Are Donald Trump and Elon Musk actually friends? Here are all the details.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s friendship explained
The relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has seen numerous twists and turns over the years. Just before the 2016 presidential election, Musk reportedly expressed doubts about Trump’s suitability for the presidency.
According to Business Insider, he told CNBC that Trump lacked the character needed for the role and said he favored Hillary Clinton’s economic and environmental policies. However, the dynamic shifted dramatically once Trump won the presidency.
In December 2016, Trump appointed Musk to two economic advisory councils, a move that garnered some backlash due to Musk’s previous criticisms of Trump. Musk defended his position, explaining that he was using the opportunity to advocate for improved environmental and immigration policies.
This collaboration, however, was short-lived. In June 2017, Musk resigned from the advisory boards in protest after Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, a decision that Musk criticized.
Despite the fallout, Trump continued to acknowledge Musk’s achievements. During a January 2020 interview with CNBC, the former president praised Musk for Tesla’s impressive market value and SpaceX’s successes. Trump called Musk “one of our great geniuses” and compared him to Thomas Edison. Furthermore, he sided with Musk during a dispute with California health officials over Tesla’s factory closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The relationship experienced further changes in May 2022, when Musk, now the new owner of Twitter, said he would reverse Trump’s Twitter ban. The entrepreneur criticized the ban as a “morally bad decision” and “foolish to the extreme” during an interaction with The Financial Times.
However, in July 2022, Trump criticized Musk during a rally and accused him of lying about his voting record. Musk responded on X (formerly Twitter), disputing Trump’s claims. Later, the SpaceX owner posted on the social media platform that Trump should not run for president again, citing concerns about his potential impact on the political landscape.
Trump later launched a broad attack on Musk via Truth Social, criticizing Tesla and SpaceX and implying that Musk’s success was largely due to government subsidies. However, when Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, Trump expressed support for the deal on his social media platform. Musk later reportedly reinstated Trump’s Twitter account in November 2022.
